Oxford students remove photo of Queen Elizabeth II, sparking latest battle in Britain's culture wars
牛津大学学生移除女王伊丽莎白二世的肖像,引发了英国最新一轮的文化战争
Has Queen Elizabeth II been canceled? That was Wednesday's rallying cry for many conservative commentators in Britain after a group of graduate students at one of Oxford University's most prestigious colleges voted to remove a photo of the reigning monarch from their common room, citing Britain's colonial history — and igniting the latest flash point in the nation's culture wars.***
女王伊丽莎白遭遇抵制了吗?这是诸多英国保守派评论员在周三(6 月 9 日)的战斗口号。此前,在牛津大学久负盛名的一所学院里,一群研究生投票决定将在位君主的一幅肖像从他们的公共休息室中移除,理由是(它象征着)英国的殖民历史。这些学生的行为点燃了导火索,引发了这个国家最新一轮的文化战争。
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Britain has long seen vigorous debate between the right and the left over its legacy of empire and colonialism. The intensity of the discussion, however, accelerated dramatically with the Black Lives Matter movement last year that began targeting overt symbols of the country's dark past, prompting a backlash from conservatives claiming the nation's history was under attack and shouldn't be erased.***
长期以来,针对帝国主义和殖民主义的遗留问题,英国的左翼势力和右翼势力一直争论不休。然而在去年,Black Lives Matter 运动开始针对那些公然象征着英国黑暗历史的雕像发起冲击,当时左翼和右翼的争论愈演愈烈,这激起了保守派的强烈反对——他们声称英国的历史正在遭受攻击,历史不应被抹除。
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According to notes from the meeting, some at Magdalen College had expressed concerns that "depictions of the monarch and the British monarchy represent recent colonial history," before opting to take down the portrait and pivot to a more "neutral" looking space.
会议记录显示,莫德林学院的一些学生曾表达他们的担忧,认为“(肖像中)对君主和英国君主制的描绘象征着近代殖民历史。”随后,他们选择取下这幅肖像,转而营造一个看起来更加“中立”的空间。
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Education Secretary Gavin Williamson slammed the move as "simply absurd," while the front page of the conservative Daily Mail tabloid read: "Outrage as Oxford students vote to axe queen."
英国教育大臣加文·威廉姆森抨击此举“荒谬至极”,与此同时保守派小报《每日邮报》的头版头条写着“牛津学生投票废除女王惹众怒。”
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"These decisions are their own to take, not the College's," Magdalen College President Dinah Rose said, adding "maybe they'll vote to put it up again, maybe they won't." Until then, she said, the portrait now at the center of fierce debate in Britain would be kept safely in storage.
“这是他们(学生)自己的决定,并不是学院的决定,”莫德林学院院长黛娜·罗斯补充说“也许他们会投票再次悬挂(这幅肖像),也许他们不会。”在那之前,这幅目前身处英国激烈争论漩涡的肖像将会得到妥善保管。
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主编:Amy
品控:木子
审核:Jojo
Photo Credit:
Unknown / Library and Archives Canada, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Ed Webster, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
重点词汇
spark
/spɑːrk/
v. 引起,导致(麻烦)
词性拓展:spark(n. 火花,火星)
例句:"Cold weather in China kills 21 in ultramarathon, sparks outrage"
rallying cry
/ˈræliɪŋ ˌkraɪ/
n.(团结众人的)战斗口号,信念
相关词汇:rally(n. 大型公众集会;v. 召集,集合)
相关词汇:cry(n. 口号)
prestigious
/presˈtɪdʒ.əs/
adj. 有威望的,有声望的,受尊敬的
英文释义:very much respected and admired, usually because of being important
例句:She won a highly prestigious award.
reigning
/ˈreɪ.nɪŋ/
adj. 在位的,统治的
相关词汇:reign(v. 统治,当政)
英文释义:to be the king or queen of a country
例句:Queen Victoria reigned from 1837 to 1901.
搭配短语:the reigning king
cite
/saɪt/
v. 提及(原因);引述,引用
搭配短语:to cite the works of others(引用)
英文释义:to mention sth. as a reason
例句:He cited his heavy workload as the reason for his breakdown.(提及原因)
ignite
/ɪɡˈnaɪt/
v. 引发,激起;点燃,(使)燃烧
英文释义:to start an angry argument
词义辨析:ignite,spark
两个单词相比,spark 更侧重于是小事情引发了大麻烦,比如 A discarded cigarette sparked a brush fire. 意思是“一个丢弃的烟头引发了灌木丛中的一场火灾。” 而 ignite 则更强调人们被激发了某种强烈情感,比如 His words ignited their anger.,意思是“他的话一下子把这些人给惹怒了。”
flash point
/ˈflæʃ.pɔɪnt/
n. 爆发点,导火索;(液体的)燃点
相关词汇:flashpoint(n. 爆发点,导火索;(液体的)燃点)
例句:The situation has reached flashpoint.
vigorous
/ˈvɪɡ.ɚ.əs/
adj. 激烈的,热烈的;健壮的,强壮的
英文释义:strong and healthy
搭配短语:a vigorous young man(健壮的)
搭配短语:a vigorous campaign against tax fraud(激烈的)
accelerate
/əkˈsel.ɚ.eɪt/
v.(使)加快,(使)增速
反义词:decelerate(v. 减缓,变慢)
overt
/oʊˈvɝːt/
adj. 公开的,明显的
英文释义:done or shown publicly
例句:Overt race discrimination is illegal.
prompt
/prɑːmpt/
v. 引起,导致,激起
词义辨析:prompt,ignite,spark
三个单词都有“引起,激起”的意思。相比之下,ignite 和 spark 强调引发的是不好的后果,而 prompt 没有太强的感情色彩,只是单纯地表达因果关系(to make something happen)。
backlash
/ˈbæk.læʃ/
n.(对政治或社会事件的)强烈反应,强烈反对
相关词汇:back(adv. 向后面,在后面;n. 后面,后部)
相关词汇:lash(n. 鞭打,抽打)
搭配短语:a public backlash against racism
opt to do sth.
选择做某事
英文释义:to choose one thing instead of another
例句:She was offered a job but opted to go to college instead.
pivot
/ˈpɪv.ət/
v.(行为态度的)转变;(使)在枢轴上旋转(或转动)
词性拓展:pivot(n. 支点,枢轴)
例句:The ballet dancer pivots gracefully on the stage.
slam
/slæm/
v. 批评,抨击;(把……)砰地关上
例句:He slammed the door shut.
英文释义:to criticize sb. or sth. strongly
absurd
/əbˈsɝːd/
adj. 荒谬的,荒唐的
近义词:ridiculous(adj. 荒唐的,可笑的)
read
/riːd/
v.(指示牌、信上等)写着
近义词:say(v. 表达,说明(信息))
例句:A sign on the outer door read: 'No Entry'.
outrage
/ˈaʊt.reɪdʒ/
n. 愤怒,义愤
相关词汇:rage(n. 暴怒,狂怒)
英文释义:a feeling of violent anger that is difficult to control
词根词缀:out-(表示“超越,超过”)
例句:There was public outrage over the violence.
axe
/æks/
v. 砍掉,取消,废止
词性拓展:axe(n. 斧头)
例句:LG's entire mobile business was axed.
fierce
/fɪrs/
adj. 猛烈的,激烈的
近义词:vigorous(adj. 激烈的,热烈的)
搭配短语:fierce competitions
加